In The Saviour's Arms
by RemyWrites
Summary: What would have happened if Emma had been there to see Cora killed and Regina break down.
1. Chapter 1

"Mother? What's wrong?" Regina fretted, reaching out for the woman as she fell to the floor.

"What the hell did you do?" Emma yelled, advancing on her own mother.

"This… would have been enough. You… you would have been enough." Cora smiled weakly.

"What. The hell. Did you _do_?!" Emma shouted, leaning right up in Snow's face.

"Mother, don't leave me please…" Came the older brunette's mumbled voice. She clutched her mother to her chest, rocking gently back and forth as though she were only sleeping.

"I gave Cora what was coming to her." Snow said calmly, tilting her chin up in that arrogant, self-righteous way she'd always had.

"Via her own daughter?! You're sick. You… you disgust me!" The blonde was still yelling right in her face, internally smirking at the woman's flinch.

"What am I going to do?" Regina mumbled, still rocking gently on the floor.

Emma turned, her whole demeanour softening as she took in the broken woman kneeling on the dusty shop floor.

She crouched down by her side, reaching out and gently touching Regina's arm.

She flinched and looked up to Emma with fearful eyes, gulping.

"Come on." The Sheriff whispered, opening her arms as everyone stared on. "Come with me."

The ex-Mayor shook her head frantically, clinging to the dead and lifeless body in her arms.

Emma became a little more forceful now, taking hold of Regina's arms and prying them from rapidly cooling limbs. Cora lay on the ground now as her daughter flung herself into the arms of the saviour, clinging to the black jacket as she sobbed into it.

"Neal, pick her up." Emma ordered quietly, gesturing to the body.

"What?!" He stared at her dumbly. "I'm not touching her! Ew!"

She glared. "You wanna get on my good side and have the opportunity of spending time with _my_ son?" He hesitated but nodded. "Then pick. Her. Up."

With a grimace, he scooped Cora up and begrudgingly followed his ex as she shuffled to the door with Regina still clinging to her chest.

"And just where do you think you are going?" Snow asked, folding her arms across her chest.

Her daughter didn't even look back, merely calling out, "If you follow, there will be hell to pay. That's all you have to know."

Once they were out of the door of the pawn shop, Regina began to move a little faster, the cold air filling her lungs and stinging her wet eyes.

She stared blankly ahead, staying quiet except for the occasional sniffle. Crowds had gathered around the shop after hearing the commotion inside. They stared as two people they'd initially thought as the 'good side' held to the two they'd been supposedly fighting against.

They parted without more than a nod from Emma, the whole scene in silence. It was terribly like a funeral procession, Regina thought, considering the colours of their clothes and - as shown to her a few minutes later - their destination.

They began to approach the graveyard and Emma stopped just by the mausoleum, looking down at the brunette who owned it.

"Where would you like to bury her?" She asked softly.

The witch took a few deep gulps of fresh air before nodding determinedly. "With daddy." She slipped her gloved hand into Emma's chilled free one for a brief moment as they stepped up and opened the doors.

Instead of opening the stone coffin like Emma expected her to do, Regina pushed the coffin aside to reveal the hidden staircase.

"When you said 'with daddy', I expected, you know, in his coffin with him." The blonde said softly as they began to descend.

"That coffin is for show. Daddy is down here."

"A coffin… for show…" Neal frowned, manoeuvring the stairwell with great care considering the body in his arms.

"Shut up." Emma warned, staying by Regina's side as they walked the halls. She watched the brunette swipe her hand over a set of double doors as they passed and, as she looked back, she saw a name on a plaque on the door. 'Daniel Jacobs'.

They stopped at another set of double doors, also holding a plaque. 'Henry and Cora Mills'.

The doors were pushed open and inside were two glass coffins, one holding the body of an old man. Emma frowned, but didn't question his lack of decomposition as the ex-mayor gestured for her to assist in sliding open the lid.

Neal stepped forwards and very gently lay Cora down inside, smoothing out her clothes and setting her hands together on her chest. He stepped back to the doors respectfully as the younger witch waved her hand above her mother.

Regina's borrowed clothes shimmered into a blue dress, Cora returning to her full Enchanted Forest glory.

Emma slid the cover closed and took hold of a gloved hand again, squeezing gently in reassurance.

"Thank you." Regina whispered. "For doing this."

"You're welcome. I had… _one_ foster mom that I ever liked even a little bit, and I know that you loved your mother no matter what."

The ex-Mayor placed her hand on the top of the glass, causing a small bushel of flowers to appear in the hands of her mother. She nudged Emma's side and they slowly walked from the room and the mausoleum, Neal trailing far behind to give them their space.

They froze up when they saw that Snow and Charming were stood outside a few metres away, Snow clutching Henry's shoulders.

Emma glanced at Regina to make sure she'd be alright before pulling away and storming over to her blood relations. "I told you," She warned, "That if you followed us, there would be hell to pay."

"Emma, what's happened?" Henry frowned, glancing between one fuming and one sniffling mother.

"You wanna know what happened?" She asked, looking down at him seriously. He nodded.

"Emma, don't-" Snow started, but her daughter cut her off with a hand over her mouth.

"Your grandma murdered your other grandma. In cold blood." She pulled away and moved to stand at equal distance between Snow and Regina. "And now, they're no better than each other!" She shouted, looking at her mother. "She's sunk to the so-called 'evil' level, but no one is going to condemn her for it because she's on the goody two shoes side!"

Snow pursed her lips.

"And what's worse, is that I'm switching sides. I'm done." The blonde continued. "I can't take you guys and your self-righteous murders! You think you're so fucking fantastic!"

"Emma!" James said, shocked that she'd swear in front of her son.

"Henry, get over here."

"But Emma-" Snow argued.

"Henry." She warned. "Get. Over. Here. We're. Going. Home."

He ran to his birth mother, taking hold of her hand. Without hesitation, he took hold of his adoptive mother's hand, too, having them walk on either side of him. His hand-holding brought a slight smile to both women's faces.

**At The Mansion, Half an hour later**.

"Thank you again." Regina smiled at Emma as they pushed the door open. "I wouldn't have been able to do any of that without some assistance."

"You're welcome. I'd do it again any time. I'm on your side now."

"I don't think there's going to be any sides any more, now that she's gone. There's no battles to fight."

"That's what you think, but everyone in this town is still probably going to hate you. I'm going to be here to both protect you and guide you in being a better person. Sound good?" Emma smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah. Sounds perfect."


	2. Chapter 2

Emma had begun living with Regina and Henry. She simply couldn't face her parents any more, so she'd gotten Ruby to distract them with lunch while she went to the apartment to collect hers and Henry's things.

Needless to say, Snow and James were heartbroken to find all of their things missing when they got home that day.

Emma, however, quite happily hung up her jacket on the coat rack by the door before heading straight to the kitchen, hungry for one of Regina's delicious snacks after her long day at work. She froze up, however, as she passed the dining room table.

"Regina...?" She called out, confused. "What's... what's all this?" She began inspecting the several boxes as her brunette friend strolled in.

"You told me to start doing good things, like buying girl scout cookies. Henry convinced Ava to come by earlier and I bought some." She shrugged, eyes wide with fresh innocence.

"Yeah, some! Like some thin mints! I didn't mean..." She paused, counting. "Five boxes of twenty!"

Regina pouted. "But Ava's gonna win a bike now... That's good. Right?"

Emma's deep frown slowly turned to a soft smile as she looked at the woman in front of her. "That's _great_, Regina. It's wonderful. Did you buy one hundred servings of girl scout cookies just so that she _would_ get the bike?" Her voice was soft and Regina nodded with a slight smile. "I'm gonna reward you for your first good deed tonight."

The ex-Mayor tilted her head to the side curiously. "How's that?"

"I'm gonna cook you dinner." Emma smiled.

There was a long silence before Regina burst into laughter. "No no no! You'll burn the kitchen down!"

"Hey! Don't assume I can't cook! I can make food!" The blonde argued, smiling.

"Yeah, sure, burnt water and cold toast."

"I'm serious! Let me cook dinner."

Regina hesitated for a few long moments, eyeing Emma curiously. "Fine."

"Perfect. Now get out! I have ze work to do!" The Sheriff shouted playfully, clapping her hands and shooing Regina as she spoke with a fake French accent. "Go peek 'enry up from 'is fwiends!"

* * *

Regina wasn't really sure what she'd been expecting after leaving Emma to cook for them. There were two extremes, as far as she was concerned:

1. She'd either return to the scene of a large fire, or  
2. She'd return to a simple meal consisting of lightly toasted bread and some beans.

What she did not expect, however, was the lavish meal already lain out on the dining room table. She couldn't quite tell what it was - the smells being a varied mixture of spices and vegetables and meats.

"What did you make?" Henry asked Emma eagerly as she stepped from the kitchen. Regina was still staring at the table.

The blonde shrugged. "Got some stuff from the fridge and the freezer and just threw it together. I've already nibbled a little. Delicious. And don't you worry, Regina, still healthy." She smiled, pulling one of the chairs back and gesturing for the other woman to sit.

Red lips curled into a smile as she took the offered chair. "It looks wonderful."

* * *

"Oh my, that was incredible." Regina sighed, sitting back in her chair with her hunger sated. "You can cook more often."

"Nope. Special occasions only. Next time you do something nice or good, that is when I will cook. That'll be your motivation." Emma smirked, sipping at one of the beers she'd managed to sneak into the brunette's fridge.

"That and that people might start to like you." Henry added, finishing his last bite of food.

* * *

"Regina!" Emma shouted after closing the door and being surrounded, holding her arms up in surrender. "What. The hell?!"

It hadn't even been a week and it seemed that Regina had already done another of her 'good deeds'.

The brunette came strolling down the stairs. "Yes?" She smiled softly.

"Why. Are there... fifteen puppies?!" The blonde stayed standing completely still despite the yapping animals crowding around her feet and sniffing her eagerly.

"I did another good thing! I overheard Mr Johnson in Granny's Diner earlier, saying that the kennel at the Pet Adoption centre was getting over crowded and, quote, 'if we don't shift like, fifteen dogs, we'll need to expand, and we just don't have the money for that'. End quote. So I adopted fifteen puppies." She continued to smile for a moment before frowning deeply. "Is that okay? Should I have asked first?"

"It's... it's fine, I guess, I'm just... I would have funded the kennel extension, not adopted fifteen runts that I'm allergic to."

Regina gasped. "Don't call them runts. You're not a runt, are you Drogo?" She frowned, scooping up a little husky puppy with the brightest blue eyes - which happily began to lick at her face - before she looked back up at Emma. "Oh... You're allergic?" The Sheriff nodded. "I'm sorry! I had no idea!"

The blonde sneezed, making the pups yap and jump a little. "Just... get rid of fourteen of them before Henry gets home."

Brown eyes turned brightly hopeful. "Fourteen?"

"Keep one. As a gift to Henry. You're going to take all the others back literally right now-" She was cut off by another sneeze. "And you're going to offer to fund and organize the kennel expansion because you're good with stuff like that. Deal?"

Regina grinned and nodded. "Deal! Okay, you go... do whatever you do when your allergies act up. I'll pick up some antihistamines for you too." She smiled, shutting the husky in the living room and scooping up as many puppies as she could to carry them to the car.

"Regina!" Emma called as she reached the door, leaning to open it. "Kennels. Right over there." She gestured to the end of the stairs, where enough kennels sat to hold all fourteen puppies with enough space.

"Right. Right."

* * *

"Oh my god!" Henry shouted, his voice echoing through the house. "A puppy! How did a puppy get in my room?! Oh my god he has blue eyes! Oh my god it's like he has eyebrows! Oh my god he's so cuuuuute!"

Regina and Emma nearly fell against each other with laughter in the kitchen.

Soon enough, Henry's stomping footsteps came barrelling down the stairs. "Moms! Moms! A puppy! Why?! Why is there a puppy?!"

"It's a gift for you, honey!" Regina smiled, managing to calm her laughter at his excitement as he skidded to a halt in the kitchen, the husky licking his face.

He fired questions at his mothers. "What's his name? How old is he? Does he have his shots? Is he neutered?"

"Drogo. One month old. He's had all the shots he's allowed. He can't be neutered until he's at least six months." Emma smiled.

"Drogo! That's awesome! Can I take him into the yard and play?!"

"Of course you can, honey." His adoptive mother said, ruffling his hair. "He has some dog toys in the living room. But first!" She called as he reached the door, forcing him to turn and show her two sets of puppy eyes. "You have to promise that you'll take responsibility. You'll feed him, walk him, pick up his poop. You can't just forget about him one day."

Henry nodded eagerly. "I will! I'll do all that! I won't forget him!" The puppy seemed to whine along with the boy's words, as if pleading with Regina too.

After a few long moments she relented. "Go on. Go play."

He ran off eagerly and she turned to face Emma, who was wearing a large, proud smile. "Guess who's cookin'?" She said softly, giving Regina's hand a proud squeeze before moving about the kitchen.

"If I keep this up, I'm gonna get fat." Regina sighed, patting her full stomach. "There's some motivation for being evil again."

"No, you won't get fat. I told you. It's healthy." Emma argued gently.

"Can I tell you guys something?" Henry asked, returning from setting Drogo's dog dish down in the kitchen. Both women nodded as he took his place again. "I really like this. The three of us. I get my mom and my mom. No interruptions. I like that there's no one influencing me as to who I should be spending my time with, because I love both of you and it's really hard to choose."

"Okay kid, enough sap." Emma smirked. "There's dessert in the kitchen."

"You made dessert?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ordered it from Granny's while you were out. I can cook dinner, sure, but I can't make dessert to save my life."

"Then I'll start making dessert every time you cook. Deal?"

"Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

"Mom?" Henry asked one morning.

"Yes, honey?" Regina smiled over her breakfast coffee.

"My school is having a bake sale tomorrow. Can you make some cupcakes or something for me?"

"Yeah, what kind?"

"I don't know, red velvet or something."

"I'll start right now." She kissed the top of his head before setting out to work around the kitchen.

Emma made her way down the stairs, pulling her signature leather jacket on. "Come on kid, you're gonna be late."

Regina quickly passed her blonde friend a flask of coffee, suddenly kissing her cheek without thinking about it.

It seemed that the Sheriff didn't really notice either, merely smiling. "See you later."

* * *

Emma decided, on a whim, that she'd head back to the mansion for lunch in the hopes that Regina would make something for her.

"Hey, I figured I'd come back for lunch." She smiled as she inadvertently sniffed the air. "Something smells great." She stepped into the kitchen with her heavy footsteps, her smile doing in shock. She stared.

"Afternoon." Regina smiled, taking a batch of cupcakes from the oven. "You want some lunch?" She asked, clearing a space on the counter for the tray.

"What… what did you do?" Emma asked, staring around the kitchen.

The brunette frowned, seemingly confused. "Henry asked me to make some cupcakes for his school's bake sale."

"Yeah, again, _some_. How many are there here?!"

"Eight dozen…"

Emma paused, calculating. "_Ninety-six cupcakes?!"_

The chef pouted. "Is that wrong? I mean…" She frowned, upset, and threw her oven gloves down. "I can't do anything right!"

The blonde quickly rushed forward, wrapping the other woman up in her arms and holding her to get chest. "It's not that you do things _wrong_," she started. "You just go a little over the top with them, is all." She tried to comfort.

"But I'm such an idiot! Why can't I do anything right?!"

"You are, honey, you're doing things right. And even though people will probably be hesitant to eat them, I'm gonna stand there eating them in a silent nudge of encouragement."

Regina smiled against Emma's chest. "Yeah?"

"Of course."

"Okay, well, I still have some batter left over so I'm gonna make just a few more - however, these ones will be just for home."

"Okay. Good. I'm gonna make myself a sandwich." The Sheriff moved over to the fridge, then cleared a small space to begin her lunch preparation.

"When you're done, can you help me decorate them?" The chef asked. Emma just nodded, smiling.

* * *

'Rubes I need you to call me and pretend to be a distressed citizen with a problem for the Sheriff at about five tonight.' Emma texted quickly after filling the car with cupcakes.

'Why?' Her deputy replied.

'I'm cooking dinner tonight but I don't want Regina to know, I want to surprise her.'

'Kay.'

* * *

As Emma had assumed, customers were wary of Regina's treats as they passed the booth. Regina smiled politely at them and Emma stayed firm by her side, nibbling on one of the many desserts.

Soon enough, however, Ava and Nicholas quite happy came over, buying a few cakes each. They were still wary of the 'evil' woman after she'd sent them into the forest when they rejected her - however, on the other hand, Ava was very grateful for the bicycle.

The two children's eagerness to buy the cupcakes had drawn in custom from parents and children alike.

Not unexpectedly, this had Snow and Charming sending dirty looks their way - they'd made miniature, single-serving banoffee pies and had only sold a couple.

Regina's supply began to dwindle down to the last dozen just as Emma's phone rang loudly.

"Sheriff Swan." She managed to hide her smile as she checked the clock, seeing that it had just turned five. "Okay, I'll be right there." She said simply before hanging up.

She pulled Henry aside smiling softly. "Your mom's pretty busy right now, just let her know that I got a call and had to go, kay?"

He nodded and pulled away to assist his adoptive mother. Emma headed out from the school grounds to her bug and headed off to the supermarket for supplies.

* * *

When Regina and Henry returned home an hour later - Regina having offered to count up the money raised - it was to more delicious smells emanating from the kitchen and dining room.

"You cooked?" The brunette frowned, stepping into the kitchen to see Emma only just putting the dishes she'd used in the sink.

"I promised I would, didn't I? Every time you do something good."

"Thank you." The ex-mayor smiled softly, squeezing her friend into a brief hug. "I thought I didn't do good right."

"You sold more product than anyone else and, forgetting the fact that you _ made_more, I think that shows that people are starting to see you the way I see you. As a woman who's _trying_."

* * *

The two women stayed up late that night, talking over beer, cider and wine. They chatted about their pasts. Emma went first, starting with her earliest memory and ending with Henry knocking on her apartment door. Regina, too, began with her earliest memory. She told the blonde _everything_ - including things she never expected to tell even Daniel. Things like her mother's emotional abuse and how she'd gotten the scar on her lip.

They laughed when the brunette admitted to tweaking the curse so that ice would be on the paths in winter, just so she could watch the clutz that is Snow White slip over onto her face every year. She also admitted to deliberately having nearly all of the woman's hair cut off just to spite her.

By the time midnight was creeping close, they were sitting in comfortable silence, both smiling. Emma looked over at Regina before setting her empty beer bottle down. She reached out and took Regina's cider glass from her, doing the same.

"What are you…" the brunette trailed off, Emma's bright green eyes catching her own deep brown ones. They stared at each other for a few long moments before the confident Sheriff leant in and pressed her pink lips to red ones.

The soft and hesitant kisses soon turned hungry and passionate as Regina was pushed down onto the sofa. Arms wrapped around warm bodies, but neither woman dared to take this moment any further, both knowing that - however much they'd both wanted to for however long - drunken sex was never a wise choice.

They kissed for what seemed like hours but was, in reality, less than one.

When the pair finally broke apart, Emma rested her pale forehead against a tan one. "Do you even _know_ how long I've wanted to do that for?"

The other woman nodded, smiling. "If its 'since we met' then yes, I do."

"Could I sleep in your room tonight? Not like, for sexual reasons. I just want to be near you."

* * *

"Mmm, good morning, your majesty." Emma smiled, wrapping her arms around a lithe waist and pulling the other body against hers.

"Good morning, your highness."

Emma scowled. "Don't call me that. I don't like it."

"Good morning, Saviour." Regina smiled, correcting herself as she opened her eyes.

Just as they were about to kiss, the bedroom door opened and Henry strolled in. "Mom, Emma isn't in her roo- Emma! Why are you in mom's room?!"

The couple were at a complete loss for words until Regina decided to take the lead. "Honey, Emma and I really, really like each other. We're probably going to be sleeping in the same room a lot more often, and kissing and stuff…"

He stared at them for a long while before grinning and throwing himself onto them, hugging them tightly. "Finally! It's been too many months already!"


End file.
